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Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Going Camera Crazy... It's Time to Make a Decision. Help Required.

After regretting not having my own camera for several major events lately, I am going to make a decision this week about which camera I am getting.

I refuse to spend money on a new camera when I have thousands of Air Miles sitting there, idly by, just waiting to be cashed in. Afterall, I am of a firm belief that with Air Canada's kick*ss Elite benefits (hello, Lounge!!) and WestJet's new reward plan, Air Miles will soon be obsolete. I will then personally drop kick myself if I haven't used my 4000 odd miles. Personal abuse aside, how will ANYONE ever earn enough miles for ANYTHING without WestJet on board? I can't buy enough gas or booze to go to the neighbour's on Air Miles, let alone do something worthwhile!

So, I think a camera is a very responsible purchase. Especially since I don't have enough miles for a big screen TV or a wicked trip.

My wish list is small:

Minimum 10 MP resolution.

Image stabilizer. Use it then use a camera without.. you'll never go back.

I hope this is the last camera I ever buy.

All the other features, I could take them or leave them. My last camera was the top-of-the-line 'point & shoot' before migrating to a professional camera, of its time. I rarely used the features. Therefore, I don't think I need to pay extra for them.

Here are the contenders:

Nikon Coolpix L110 - Recommended by 2 friends now. 12.1 MP and 15x Optical Zoom. Smile recognition, HD video, image stabilizer and a pile of other features. It also rates high on some of the online ratings and reviews I've read. Cost: Not avaialble through Air Miles. OOPS! Scratch this one. I'm not paying cash. The L22 and S3000 are available, however, and rate fairly high.

Olympus Stylus Tough 6000- From the description, this is THE camera for me. Shockproof, waterproof and freezeproof. By shockproof, I read you can drop it 6 feet. I need that. And the waterproof feature. 10MP and 3.6 optical zoom (not great, but okay), image stabilizer. My brother's fiance has this camera and they loved the underwater photos it took on their last vacation. Otherwise, I haven't read many good reviews on it. Cost: 2900 AM

Pentax Optio All Weather W80 - This one also sounds good from the description and has some high ratings by users. Waterproof, dustproof and shockproof up to a meter, it also has the face recognition feature and "Pixel Track Shake Reduction" to reduce blur. Cost: Regular 3,300 AM on sale for 2750. Rank: 510

Canon - To be honest, after researching every Canon available on Air Miles, I have not found one that I absolutely want. Ratings and reviews can be funny for that eh? You get all the bad and good. That being said, I likely would've bought a Canon because my last 2 cameras were Canon and I can share the software and cords. I'm glad I checked the reviews because I don't know if I'd be happy with the picture quality. That being said, I may do some more research on the SD1300 and SD960.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH20- At first, I would've passed this one up. Air Miles doesn't list its model, so finding reviews was a little tricky. After reading nearly every other camera's reviews, I came back to this one as Panasonic point and shoots seem to rate high on TestFreaks.com (the website where I did a lot of comparison). Only out since January, it is 14.1 MP, 8x optical zoom and has an image stabilizer, all the key features I want. Price: 3200 AM Rank: 288

Nikon Coolpix L22 - Also only released in February. This camera has a "food mode"- intriguing for a blogger, no? At 10MP and 3.6x optical zoom, it does not have an image stabilizer, which was a major 'want'. It ranks high, but other websites suggest Canon or Panasonic as better options. Price: 1400 AM Rate 127

5 comments:

I have a few friends that have the Olympis one that you can drop...highly suggest it....however the zoom is not good. I have an olympis with 10x optical zoom, love it, but have had problems with it ever since I dropped it, sent it back for warrenty it is not performing the way it should be.

Go Canon, they are amazing cameras! I have had one last me through 5 years of school, it has seen a lot of beer and bar floors its great! They are pretty durable and take awesome pictures especially once you learn about all the cool settings they have! Smiles,

Stumbled across your blog. The Olympus is great. I have one. Its still more of a point and shoot. The Olympus is coming out with one that can be run over to a certain weight. IE: 4wheeling, dirtbiking etc. The Nikon is still a personal fav of mine. Check out the cameras at Costco. Both the Nikon and the Olympus are both advaiable there for sure and they include 90 day return no questions asked and 2 yr manufactures warranty for free!!!

Thanks for sharing your experience with the Olympus enviropassion. I have had the same problem with my Canon after dropping it. I guess they're not meant to be dropped, unless they're made that way.

I've also only had Canon in the past, Melissa. I have been really happy with the picture quality and really, it's only been since I dropped it I had problems. Perhaps it's not a camera I should buy, but lessons in being careful!

Glad you stumbled on me, Clear thinking - hope you liked what you found? I would totally check out Costco but.... I don't have a membership :(

As a follow up, I made a decision! I bought the Canon PowerShot SX120 IS. I know, I know.. I didn't review it above, but this is why I chose it over the others.

Before making my decision, I went to FutureShop to see the cameras for myself. I had missed the fact the Panasonic is a touchscreen. If it weren't for this, I likely would've got the Panasonic. Unfortunately, with my luck with cameras, I'm worried about how the touchscreen will hold up. So, after looking at all the Canon's available, I chose the SX120 IS. It's been on the market since September, and it has received many positive reviews. Most feel it's among the best value you can get in a point & shoot camera in the price range with the features available. Now, I will sit tight until it arrives and I can test it out for myself!!